Dawn and Darkness
by Glimmers
Summary: Au in which the plan to save Elyon as a baby failed. A hopeless rebellion is about to be crushed, and Phobos' power is almost at its peak, when the guardian's finally awaken. WxC, CxM, IxE. R for R.
1. Affliction

**Title:** Dawn and Darkness.

 **Summary:** Au in which the plan to save Elyon as a baby failed. A hopeless rebellion is about to be crushed, and Phobos' power is almost at its peak, when the guardian's finally awaken. WxC, other pairings undecided.

 **Notes:** Thanks for reading this far! I love WITCH AUs, and wanted to try my hand at one.

Chapter One

 _Just make it past the Gorge_.

This was the mantra Caleb repeated to himself as he sprinted across Meridian Plains, a whole squadron of Lurdens and other knights of Phobos behind him. He had been caught on his way back from what was meant to be a basic recon mission, which was hardly unusual these days, but with food supplies dwindling, he didn't have a whole lot of strength. Still, if he made it to the Gorge, he could get away safely. _Probably_.

He heard a roar behind him and dared to glance over his shoulder.

 _Crap._

Cedric had joined the hunting party. Cedric had always been terrifying, but as Phobos' power grew, so did Cedric's, making him larger, faster, and and stronger. Caleb had outsmarted and outran him once or twice before, but everyday the rebels got weaker, and _they_ got stronger.

 _Just get to the Gorge. You'll be fine if you get to the Gorge_.

His father was gonna kill him- He'd told Caleb not to go on this mission, both as a father, and as the leader of the rebel army. But Caleb was never one to give up, and he knew that more exact information on Phobos' armory would be useful. But now he was starting to understand why his dad was so reluctant. He knew the armory would be heavily guarded, but _this_ was beyond what he'd thought.

Still, he couldn't worry about getting lectures as he ran for his life.

He could see the gorge up ahead, only a few more minutes and…

And arrow whizzed by his ear, followed by another.

 _Dammit, I have to move faster or-_

He screamed as one pierced his ankle, and he fell.

He saw Cedric's shadow in the moments before a clawed, scaly hand pulled him up.

"So, what have we here?"

"Let go of me!" He tried to kick at the beast, but it got him nowhere.

"Looks like dinner…"

Caleb closed his eyes as the snake raised him above his head, and opened his mouth. He had a row of sharp, yellow fangs.

"Wait, MiLord!"

Both Caleb and Cedric looked down to where a palace guard was standing.

"What is so important that you must interrupt my meal? Speak carefully, or _you_ will be desert."

"I recognize that boy. He's no ordinary rebel, he's the leader's son!"

Cedric looked at Caleb, and Caleb began to curse himself. _I wish he'd just eaten me!_

"Well, that certainly is interesting. Come, let's bring our findings to Prince Phobos."

* * *

Will sighed and parked her car in the school lot, dreading the day ahead of her.

Starting at a new school was never fun, bus it was _especially_ unfun when it was midway through high school. Gone were familiar hallways and friendly teachers, instead, Will was going to have to contend with an unfamiliar social scene and god-knows how much schoolwork.

She checked her phone; _seven fifteen_. Well, she couldn't delay things much longer. Reluctantly, she grabbed her bag and stepped out of her car.

 _So, This is Sheffield Prep_.

In front of her, a large brick wall rose up ten feet, and was peaker with wrought iron spikes, A gate was made from the same metal, and swung open, revealing a well-manicured, if littered, lawn, and a large, colonial style building stretching out in front of her. As she approached the school, she noticed that a newer wing had been added onto the left, made entirely of glass. Through it she could see a few kids hanging around round cafeteria tables. _Great, I can't just hide in the bathroom to eat my lunch_.

She had dressed safely enough- she figured that this school couldn't be too different from her old one, so she'd tossed on blue jeans and a yellow tee, with converse. But of course, private school kids were different, all dressed to the nines in glamorous outfits of varying styles and looks. She, in her converse and Kohl's-bought clothing, stuck out like a sore thumb.

Her mother had been so thrilled to get her into this school she hadn't even thought about the repercussions. Sure, the new job meant more money, but it didn't suddenly make them fit in with the snooty rich kids whose parents probably thought of tuition money here as petty cash.

"Hey, new girl!"

Dreading any encounter starting with those words, Will looked up to see a group of boys clustered around the statue of a portly old man. The one who had spoken had spiked red hair, and more acne than manners.

"What?"

He and his friends did that stupid boy thing, where they all exchanged looks and smirks, before turning to her with a mean expression.

"That's all you gotta say? Don't they teach manners wherever you're from?"

Will sighed. So it was gonna be _that_ kind of day.

"Yeah, I've gotta go."

"Aw, come on, don't you have some time to spare for us?"

"Nope."

She began to walk away, hoping the rest of the student body at the very least smelled better, but she felt his clammy hand on her elbow, jerking her back.

"I wasn't asking-"

"Hey, get off me-"

"Uriah, already harassing the new girl?"

Immediately, he dropped his hand. Will turned to where the cold voice had come from, expecting to see a teacher, only to see a girl about her age.

"What's it to _you_ , Cornelia? Jealous?"

"Please, the only thing around here I'm jealous of are the flies killed by your stench. They at least get to escape your company."

The boy snarled, but his two friends were backing away.

"Come on, Uriah, it's not worth it."

Frowning, Uriah slinked away, but he was shooting the girl a dirty look that guaranteed it wasn't over.

"Sorry about them. I promise not all of us at Sheffield are so disturbing."

"Oh, uh, thanks."

Will looked the girl up and down. She was a knock-out, tall and blonde and with big blue eyes. She was dressed well, in a in a scoop-neck cream shirt and floaty, pale pink shorts with a bow at the waist. Her hair, despite being longer than anything will had ever seen and left down, was still perfect.

"No problem. Can't let new kids get the wrong impression."

"They seemed… the seemed really scared of you."

The girl laughed.

"Yeah, well, I can have that effect on people. Especially _those_ people."

Will understood it. For all that she was pretty, and seemed nice enough, there was something about this girl. A sort of _cross me and you'll wake up with a horse's head in your bed_ vibe. Will made a mental note to avoid her bad side- it was always the well-manicured girls you had to look out for.

"Hey, I'm Will, by the way."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Corni-"

The bell interrupted their conversation.

"Oh, _crap_ , I have to go." She took off running towards the building, but turned back to yell, "Nice to meet you, Jill!"

"It's Will…" she muttered, before realizing she was alone in the yard. _Well, can't be late on my first day_. And with that, she headed in to meet the principal.

* * *

Hay-Lin, for her part, was about to be late for the millionth time. Her bike had blown a gear and she needed a ride from her grandma, who defied the old woman stereotype by driving like an absolute lunatic through crowded traffic.

She glanced out the window, where three cars were screaming and honking, almost driven into each other by her grandma's antics.

"So rude," Yan Lin muttered, taking a sharp turn blindly. "Who raised them, wolves?"

"Uh, gran, you are driving kinda…"

"You're late, I'm getting you to school. Quit complaining."

Hay-Lin sighed. She had been excited to arrive early, hoping to show her art teacher the cool shirt she'd made. It was yellow, with bell-sleeves and cut-outs down the shoulders. She'd paired it with a denim mini-skirt and bright blue tie-dye leggings, and her doc martins, and she knew her teacher would appreciate the outfit. Everyone at Sheffield had their own unique style, but her's was the most out-there, and only she seemed to really get it.

"You should invite some friends over to lunch. I'll whip up my special dumplings." Yan Lin said, out of the blue.

"Really?"

"Yes, of course. I want my grand-daughter to be happy. Get Taranee and Irma and Cornelia to come."

"That's won't be hard, if you deliver on the dumplings."

"Oh, and invite someone new."

"What? Why?"

"I want you to expand your friend group."

"I have great friends, grandma."

"Yes, but you can never have too many. No new friend, no dumplings."

"Ugh, fine, fine. But you know, most people don't like being invited to have lunch with strangers."

"Trust me, I have a feeling it will work out."

Hay-Lin was about to complain, but her gran had one of those mysterious smiles that meant she really cared about this. And so, reluctantly, Hay-lin agreed.

* * *

Will's first class was chemistry, which she stumbled into laden down with papers and folders and guidebooks.

The teacher, an old man with an elaborate mustache, simply looked at her and pointed to an empty seat, before continuing his writing, but the other students all stared at her rather brazenly… except for her lab partner, who was diligently taking notes.

Will tried to ignore the prying eyes as she arranged her papers into her backpack.

The principal, Miss Knickerbocker, seemed strict and had closely scrutinized Will, as if her very existence broke some rule or guidebook. She had given her a _no nonsense will be tolerated_ talk, and then handed her a schedule, reading list, and a million other papers.

"So, with your lab partner, go over the reading and come up with some questions."

Will turned to the girl next to her. She was in a dark red midi-skirt, and a one-shoulder top which tied at the waist. She had paired the outfit with brown boots, despite to heat. As eclectic as her clothing was, it all worked, giving her a funky vibe. Even her glasses had a vintagey feel to them.

"Uh, so, are you my lab partner?"

With a start, the girl glanced up from her notes.

"Oh, um, yeah. Hi. I'm Taranee."

"I'm Will."

"The new girl, right?"

"That's me."

Taranee smiled.

"Don't worry, I was the new girl too a few years back. You'll get used to it here."

Glad to finally meet a friendly face, Will grinned back at the girl.

"Thanks. I hope you're right."

"Don't worry. If _I_ can make friends, you can, too."

They chatted pleasantly for the rest of class, as the teacher seemed to be taking a nap in his chair. _So much for being the best school in the county_ , she thought. Taranee caught her up on the classwork, asked friendly questions, and, much to Will's surprise, completed the assignment for the both of them. Will hadn't even noticed she was doing it.

"It's a rigorous curriculum, I can help you with catch up."

"Thanks. You must really like chemistry."

"What can I say, I love to learn. And Mr. Carpenter isn't always so…" She glanced in the direction of the sleeping professor and shrugged. "He's actually very smart. He's just getting old."

"You can say that again."

Will was sorry to leave when the bell rang, but Taranee walked her to her next class and waved goodbye to her. Maybe she'd survive her first day mostly unscathed.

* * *

Irma plopped down into her regular seat in the cafeteria, with a tray full of barely-edible food.

"Seriously," She mused to her friends, "With the tuition we pay here, you'd think they could afford actual meat."

"You could always bring your own lunch," Cornelia pointed out, pulling tupperware from her bag.

"But then what would I complain about?"

"How about the fact that my grandma is ransoming off our lunch." Taranee, Irma, and Cornelia all looked up to Hay Lin, who had dramatically slammed her tray down.

"Sorry, but- huh?"

Sitting down, Hay Lin explained the situation.

"So, no new friend, no food. How is that fair? Doesn't she realize that if there were any more bearable people, we already would be friends with them?"

"How about the new girl?" Taranee suggested. "She seemed a bit lost, and she's really nice."

"You mean Jill?"

"Her name is _Will,_ Cornelia."

"Oh, right. Whatever. Yeah, why not her?"

Hay-Lin frown a bit.

"I say we go for it," Irma said. "Worse comes to worse, we get free dumplings."

"Okay, fine," Hay-Lin conceded.

"Hey, the last new girl worked out okay for you guys," Taranee reminded them. "Look, there she is. I can go get her-"

" _WILL! HEY, WILL!_ "

"Irma! Way to embarrass her!" Taranee hissed, yanking at her shirt.

"What? it got her attention."

Sure enough, a red-faced Will was making her way over to the table. She had wondered how the brunette had known her, until she saw Taranee at the same table, smiling sheepishly.

"Hey, Will, right?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Hi, I'm Irma."

Irma was a short, curvy girl. She was wearing white Capris and a floral, sleeveless button-down. All in all, her voice spoke louder than her appearance did. But _boy_ , was it a loud voice.

"Sorry about her, she hasn't been house trained."

Will turned to see the blonde girl from that morning.

"Hey. It's Corny, right?"

The other girls at the table burst into sniggers, but a glare from Corny shut them up. _Did I say something wrong_.

"It's Cornelia," she said to Will with a smile. "Nobody calls me Corny."

"Except the entire student body," a pretty Asian girl in bright clothing added.

"Hey, Will," Taranee said, "Why don't you sit with us?"

"Um sure, okay."

She sat down between Taranee and Cornelia and pulled her lunch from her bag.

"I'm Hay-Lin, by the way." The Asian girl introduced herself.

"Nice to meet you."

"Hay-Lin's parents own the Silver Dragon, this great Asian place downtown," Taranee explained. "We were actually headed there for lunch."

"Hey, Will, why don't you join us? We can give you the grand tour of all the cool places in Heatherfield?" Irma turned to Will with an enthusiastic grin.

"Oh, well, I don't know..."

"Yeah, the Silver Dragon, the mall… and that's about it."

"Please, Corny-" Irma caught her friend's death glare, "- _lia_ , Heatherfield is great. Come on, Will, what do you say?"

Will considered it. It was a sudden offer, but hey, they seemed like sweet girls. And it wasn't like anyone else was jumping to be her friend.

"Sure, why not?"

If only she knew what she'd just signed up for…

* * *

The guards were not gentel with Caleb when they tossed him into the pit. He landed on his wounded ankle, and couldn't stop himself from crying out in pain.

"Aw, poor rebel scum. Do you want a bandaid?" Cedric's voice taunted him from high above.

"If I'm gonna have to put up with your attempts at humor, do me a favor and kill me now."

"Ah, but then how would we get your father to bend at the knee to Phobos?"

"Your plan will fail! My father will never surrender the fight against evil!"

"Oh, we'll see about that. Until next time."

Caleb leaned himself against the wall of the cell. He had to find a way to escape. He would _not_ be used against his father.

* * *

The princess' bedroom was one of the few places in the palace still full of light and life. Cedric hated it.

"Cedric!" The princess called with a smile. She was sketching at her desk.

"Elyon. What are you doing out of bed? You _must_ preserve your strength"

"I feel fine, really," she insisted, "I wanted to draw."

"Come, Elyon, you must rest. I can see you're growing weaker by the moment."

He helped her to stand and walked her to her bed.

"You know how distressed your brother will be if your health keeps failing."

"I know, and I hate to worry him, it's just… I want to _do_ things. Live a little before I die."

"Please, don't talk like that."

Elyon pouted.

"Cedric, please. I've been sick all my life. I'm not getting better."

"Prince Phobos has stated a new treatment. I'm certain it all be effective."

"I feel weaker after every dose."

"That simply means it's working, dear."

He kissed her brow.

"Now please, rest, preserve your strength."

She sighed and fell asleep quickly. Finally able to do what he came to do, Cedric went to her drawer and pulled from it a small pouch of herbs. Intend as medicine, Elyon took them each night, unaware of the Altos which Cedric made each afternoon. From his pocket, he pulled a dark powder, and mixed a small dose in.

The time in which Elyon would cease to be a problem was nearing. And for Cedric, it could not come quickly enough.

* * *

 **So, if you made it this far, thanks! I hope you leave a review- weather or not you enjoyed it, any feedback is helpful! I'll do my best to reply to each and every review!**

 **A quick note on pairings; I've decided to go ahead with Will x Caleb, but as for the others, I'm still undecided. I have a two-part story called** _ **A Million Hearts Too Many**_ **with the potential pairings I'm considering. If you wanted to drop a review on that, I'd be super grateful, and it may help me resolve some indecision!**

 **Some other notes:**

 **-I've aged the girls up a bit, just for general story purposes.**

 **-I reverted Cornelia back to her comic book characterization. Still the Corny we all know and love, just a bit less exaggerated than the cartoon, though this is pretty much cartoon verse otherwise.**

 **-In this verse, Julian was never thought dead. As such, he, and not Caleb, is leading the rebellion. I always found Caleb's age a bit improbable, and also the fact that, despite being a leader, he was always going on super life endangering missions, so this works a bit better for me!**

 **Once again, thanks for giving this a read, I'd love it if you dropped a review as well!**


	2. Acceleration

**Thanks for all the lovely reviews! I hope this chapter lives up to the first!**

* * *

Chapter Two

The small apartment above The Silver Dragon was cozy and warm. The dining room where Will was sitting was mostly full of a table, empty plates, and five very content girls. Will was glad she had accepted the offer now-between Hay-Lin's eccentric grandmother and the dumplings she'd just eaten, it had easily been her best afternoon in Heatherfield. The four girls she was with had helped too, of course. While they could be a bit much, and Will sometimes found herself a bit at a loss, they were all nice, and watching Cornelia and Irma go to bat was as astonishing as it was amusing.

"So, why did you move to Heatherfield?" Taranee asked, when the conversation died down slightly and they had moved on to tea.

"My mom got a job with HeatherTech. Came with a big promotion, so…" She shrugged.

"How do you like it here?"

"It's…"

Will found she had no words for it. It was a fine city, but such a mixed bag, especially coupled with the pain of leaving her friends behind.

"I get it," Taranee said softly, "It takes some getting used to. What was you old town like?"

"It was great! We lived right off the beach. I guess I just miss it…"

"I totally get it. But Heatherfield is cool too-"

"Oh please. Nowheresville is cooler than this dump," Cornelia said, "I mean, we don't even have a _spa_. A _spa_ , Taranee."

"You know, Corny, some people don't consider spa's a necessity to daily life."

"And those people, Irma, are not one's I talk to."

Will could sense another spat coming on, and while they were humorous, they weren't exactly _quiet_ , so she breathed a sigh of relief when Yan-Lin entered the room and the situation diffused.

"How did you girls like the meal?" The old woman asked, handing out a plate of fortune cookies while the girls sang her praises.

"I hope, then, that you do not mind entertaining the story of an old lady?"

"Um, grams, maybe-"

"Of course, Yan-Lin," Taranee said, shooting a sympathetic glance at Hay-Lin, who looked a tad humiliated. Cornelia and Irma did their best to hide their resignation. Will wondered if this was a regular occurrence.

But she did not seem to be the only one shocked when Yan-Lin produced a strange pink pendant from her sleeve.

"Our story begins long ago…"

The change happened suddenly. It was as if a hologram had sprung up out of nowhere, making the room disappear. All Will could see was Yan-Lin and the other girls at the table, around them was the darkness of space, and as the old woman spoke, it filled with images that depicted her words.

"A peaceful world called Meridian existed, neighboring Earth. It was full of light and love, until sixteen years ago, when the Queen died in childbirth. Her evil son Phobos, angered that he was not the heir since the birth of his sister, lashed out in vengeance, and began his dark reign of terror. A few brave souls who attempted to save the princess' life were captured and put to death, along with the young child."

The scene played out in front of them, the characters as shadowy figures.

"To prevent the evil of Phobos from spreading, a veil was created to encircle the world, through which nothing can pass. The task of guarding the veil was given to the Guardians of Kandrakar, a powerful force of balance in the universe. There are five guardians- One who can control water, one who possesses the gift of fire, one who rules all earthly things, one who wields air, and a fifth, who unites and leads them."

As she spoke, the shadowy silhouettes of each guardian formed before the girls. To Will, something was familiar about them.

"Due to the strength of Kandrakar's veil, there has been no need for the guardians for many years. Until now; the power of the veil has begun to deteriorate, allowing evil to escape into our world. Now, it is time for the Guardian's to awaken. When the Fifth Guardian, the keeper of the Heart, calls out _guardians unite_ , their powers will come to fruition!"

There was a bright flash from the jewel Yan-Lin held, and suddenly, gone were the silhouets and in their place stood the five girls at the table.

There was a long moment of astonished silence.

"Oh, I get it, really funny." All heads turned to Will. "Pretend to befriend the new girl, invite her over, and pull a stupid prank?"

"Will, I swear this lameness has nothing to do with _us_ ," Cornelia said.

"Yeah, Will-" Taranee began, only to be cut off by Irma.

"God, Cornelia, _lameness?_ Stop being such a prissy bitch-"

"So you admit you planned this?"

"What? Will, girly, I didn't-"

"Really, Will, we had nothing to do with this" Hay-Lin cut in, shooting her grandmother a look, but the redhead was done hearing it.

"You know, I thought you were all so friendly. I couldn't have been more wrong!" And with that, she took off running.

* * *

Julien read and reread the letter, the small lock of hair still curled in his fist.

"Julien," Drake said, in a tentative voice, "Are you sure-"

"It's him."

Julien held out the lock- identical in color and texture to his own, if a little shorter.

"Hair can be faked-"

"Have any of you seen Caleb in the past two days?"

Drake, Aldarn, and the other rebels shook their heads.

"I thought as much. My fool of a son disregarded me, and now look what has happened."

"Caleb is smart and resilient, sir, and he has Vathek," Aldarn said, "With us working from this end to free him-"

"Within two days?" Julien smiled softly, "Your faith in me, and your friendship with my son, is something I will always treasure. But we _must_ face the facts." He took a deep breath and looked out to his men. "Prince Phobos has my son, and if we do not surrender within two days, Caleb will be put to death."

* * *

Cornelia was always a safe driver. This was in part because she was good at everything, including driving, and partly because the cream-colored mini-cooper had been a _very_ recent gift, and no way was she trashing it.

Still, when _Taranee_ was edging her on to go faster, it meant something, so she blazed through a yellow light with little thought.

"Take this right," Taranee said, and Corny, for once, obeyed.

"God, I cannot believe Irma and Hay-Lin would pull that stupid prank," she mused. Sure, the two girls had some bone headed ideas sometimes, but this was a new low.

"This left- towards the beach."

"You think she'll be there?"

"She said she missed it."

Cornelia conceded the point and kept driving.

Part of her didn't know why she was so concerned. Her friends had played a dumb joke on a new girl, who totally overreacted, and yet here she and Taranee were, following her as fast as Cornelia dared to drive, just to apologise. But a smaller, and yet louder part of her _really_ wanted to befriend Will. She couldn't explain it, but sometime during Yan-Lin's story, she had gone from ambivalent-if-open to Will to concerned for her. It wasn't like being friends, but there was something there pushing her to get close to the girl. She could tell by the anger in Taranee's eyes that she felt the same way.

"Where along the beach do you think she'd be? Coastview Point?" Why the secluded section of beach came to mind she didn't know.

"That's exactly what I was thinking," Taranee said, an unreadable expression behind her glasses.

They reached the area; it was isolated, because it was high up on the cliffs and only one road lead up there. Even in warmer months, most people were uneasy due to the caves, which had always had an odd feeling to them.

But sure enough, sitting with her back against a rock, was Will.

"Will," Taranee began.

The redhead, shocked at their arrival, stood up and quickly wiped tears from her eyes.

"Oh, it's you. Bet you think this is hilarious."

"Of course not-"

"Oh as _if_! Seriously, Will, Irma and Hay-Lin meant nothing by it. They just have a twisted sense of humor, is all."

Will scoffed. Cornelia shot Taranee a helpless look, and Taranee took over.

"Look, Will, we're sorry we made you feel like we weren't sincere. But I really meant everything I've said, I _want_ to be your friend."

"Yeah, same here." _Even if you are a drama queen_.

"Do they do this to all new girls?" Will wheeled on Taranee, "Did they do this to you?"

Taranee was at a loss for words.

"Thought so."

"Will come on…"

A horrific screeching alerted them to Irma's old, junky sedan pulling up. Out tumbled Irma and Hay-Lin.

"Oh, great," Cornelia muttered.

"Will, I am _so_ sorry my grandma-"

"Please, Hay-Lin, don't tell me you're trying to pass this off on that old lady!"

Hay-Lin turned to Cornelia with an annoyed look.

"It _isn't_ a prank, Cornelia!"

"Yeah right. I can't believe you're keeping this up!"

"Guys-" Taranee tried to interject, but her voice was swallowed.

"Oh, yeah, Corny. Me, Hay-Lin, and Yan-Lin all mastered Hologram technology just to trick a new girl."

"God, of course _you'd_ believe this, Irma."

"Uh, _guys-_ "

"Look, I don't know how you did it-"

"We didn't do anything!"

"Oh please Hay-Lin."

" _Guys!_ "

"God, I bet you all think you're hilarious!"

"What I _think_ is that you're being a real pain in my-"

"Enough!"

Will's voice, unlike Taranee's, was loud enough to quiet the bickering girls.

"God, I can't believe I thought you guys wanted to be my friends!"

"We do!" The other four protested.

"Then why did you make up that stupid story?"

"We _didn't_ , Will, you've gotta believe me!" Irma insisted, "Look, maybe I'm on crazy juice here, but does anyone else have a rational explanation for that whole virtual-reality thingy we just saw?"

None of the girls spoke.

"Hay-Lin, did your Grams take a master class in engineering lately we didn't know about? I mean Will, girly, I'm flattered, but I wouldn't know how to pull off that prank if I wanted to"

"And we _didn't_ want to!" Hay-Lin added on. She pulled something from her neck; the pink necklace.

"Look, I can't find an on-off switch here. What could have done that?"

"Oh please, you two," Cornelia said, unable to handle the situation's absurdity. "You don't seriously expect us to believe we're magical fairies meant to save some veil to another world."

"You got a better idea? What about you, Miss brainiac?" She turned to Taranee, who was as speechless as the rest of them. Irma grabbed the jewel from Hay-Lin and tossed it to Will, who caught it perfectly. "Look, simple test, Will says the catchphrase. If it doesn't work, we go make sure Yan-Lin patented her new hologram technology. If it does…"

"Why should I trust you?" Will asked.

"What do I get if we're wrong? The right to say _haha, got a new girl to totally freak?_ "

"You so don't have to do this, Will," Cornelia said.

"I just want this stupid day to be done." With a determined look on her face, Will defiantly stared Irma down, before speaking.

"Guardians, unite."

* * *

Elyon laid in bed, totally drained. Her brother's new treatments left her sapped of any strength. He said that was simply a sign her body was fighting back. Elyon was grateful to him; without him, she'd likely have died as a baby, but the constant medication was a pain.

She looked out towards her window, where it looked like a beautiful day outside.

 _If only I could go see it…_

It hit her in a sudden flash- a bright pulse of energy that surged and tingled through her, and she gasped.

For a split second, she had felt elated-energized, _alive_. And she had seen something… a set of eyes. Beautiful, teal eyes, as if they were staring into her own.

"Cedric!" She called, "Phobos, Cedric, come quickly!"

* * *

Will couldn't describe the feeling that pulsed through her. It was like taking a cattle prod straight to the heart. One moment she was fine, and the next… well.

She looked up. The girls around her were all still there, except instead of dressed in stylish outfits, they were in the purple and green get-ups Yan-Lin's image had shown them in. Each was standing around, in awe of themselves.

"This… this _can't_ be true," Will murmured.

"It is though," Irma couldn't have sounded more elated if we tried.

"Are these… _wings?_ " Hay Lin flapped the wings growing from her back and, without expecting it, took off. She let out a loud laugh.

Will looked to Cornelia, who was staring down at her outfit, and then to Taranee, who was opening and closing the palm of her hand to reveal a small flame.

"So… you're fire," Irma said, "And Will's The heart of candy cane thingy…" she pointed at the ground and yelled, suddenly, "rocks!"

Nothing happened. Irma frown, and spun in a circle. "Air!"

Still nothing.

"Water?"

A wave rose up, and threatened to crash down right on Cornelia, except that, at the precise moment it happened, the blonde shrieked and raised her arms, and a mound of sand rose with it, breaking the water's path and sending the wave careening into a still flying Hay-Lin, who crash-landed on the beach.

"Irma!" Cornelia yelled.

"Haha! Looks like I'm water, you're earth, and Hay-Lin's air. Sweet!"

"Not sweet! Am I the only one genuinely freaked?"

"Hell no!" Will said.

"Count me in the freaked party as well," Taranee muttered, still fascinated by her flaming palms.

Hay-Lin finally managed to stand and, with a wave of her arms, a warm breeze passed by her and dried her off.

"Come on guys, my grandma was right! We have powers!"

"If she was right about this, doesn't that mean that Meridian, Prince Phobos… all that stuff we have to fight is true?" Will looked to the other girls, who had gone very sombre.

"I was hoping we could momentarily pause on the evil part," Irma admitted sheepishly.

"I think the best course of action is to get back to civilian clothes and get more info," Taranee suggested.

"And more dumplings," Irma added.

"I couldn't agree more. Just one question." Will held up the heart of Kandrakar. "Anyone know where the off switch is?"

* * *

 **So, there's Chapter Two!**

 **Hope you enjoyed it and if you did, please leave a review!**


	3. Acceptance, Part One

**Thanks again for reading and reviewing! FYI, starting now, if you leave a review while logged in, I'll review one of your fics, provided you write for a fandom I am in.**

* * *

Back in Hay-Lin's home, the five girls all managed to look suitably sheepish in front of Yan-Lin.

"Sorry for not believing you. And sorry for freaking out," Will said, handing back the heart of Kandrakar.

"No apologies necessary. And that," she pointed to the heart, "is yours to keep now." She set down a tray of tea in front of the girls, before taking a seat herself. "But now that you have accepted the truth, we have urgent matters to discuss."

"Yeah, like," Cornelia said, leaning forwards, "There's an evil prince ruining another world, and the forces of good decided to send five teenage girls in miniskirts to fight him."

"Oh please, Cornelia," Irma said with a smirk, "You and Hay-Lin have maxi skirts, and Taranee wears hotpants. Weren't you paying attention at all?"

"Girls. Focus." The two snapped their mouths shut and turned back to Yan-Lin.

"In truth, Cornelia touched on an important topic. Prince Phobos. His power has been mounting for many years. Until just an hour ago, I was the last Guardian on Earth-"

"Wait, _you_ were a guardian? Grandma, you never told me!"

"I'm telling you now, granddaughter. Am I not?"

"So did you wear a belly shirt too?"

"Each Guardian's uniform reflects their disposition, Irma. As a recent immigrant from China, mine was not to be revealing. Although," she said with a smirk, "Those Meridian boys sure missed out,. I was quite the hotty."

"Um, Miss Lin? You were saying about Phobos?"

"Ah, yes, Taranee, excuse me. As I was saying, as the last guardian, The council of Kandrakar kept me in their communications as to the state of Meridian. Until you first transformed and activated a new generation, I was constantly aware of the state of things in Meridian. And we have a problem. Tyrants like Phobos are not unopposed. A rebellion is being lead against him as we speak, but they have faced a great set back. The son of their leader has been captured, and if the rebels do not surrender, he will be put to death."

Will could feel how shaken the girls were by this; she herself was shocked.

"Put to death?" she felt herself ask in a small voice. Taranee held her hand beneath the table and squeezed it.

"This is war, girls. It will not be kind to you, I am sorry to say. But there is little time for rumination. We have until the day after tomorrow to save him. The rebellion cannot be allowed to surrender, but Caleb is barely two years older than you. His loss would be devastating to the cause."

"Hold up," Cornelia interrupted, "I'm not trying to sound selfish, but you realize we've tested our powers out for a grand total of like, five minutes, right?" When she saw how the other girls were looking at her, she rolled her eyes and carried on, "I'm not saying we leave him to die, but _we're_ not good to anyone dead either!"

"I actually agree with Corny," Hay Lin said, "I mean, I'm all for superheroing, but this Phobos guy doesn't seem to mind killing and I don't wanna go up against him when I couldn't even fight off a wave."

"What other choice do we have?" They all looked to Yan-Lin.

"I am sorry, girls, but I cannot advise, I can only inform. I was not keeper of the heart, and I have no mind to lead. You must rely on Will, she was chosen for this."

Will turned as red as her hair when faced with ten prying eyes.

"Well, leaving him isn't an option… but I agree that we need more practice. Maybe… we have two days, right? We can train a bit after school, and make our way into Meridian after dark. If we can find the rebels… they might know what to do?"

"Sounds like a plan- explore our resources before doing anything rash." Will smiled gratefully at Taranee for her encouragement.

"I concur," Irma said, standing, before turning to Will, "Oh captain, my captain-" she began, before Cornelia yanked her down by her shirt. "What? I wasn't gonna finish it, I don't know the rest of the words…"

"I'm in too," Hay-Lin said.

Cornelia heaved a sigh.

"I _suppose_ it's the best choice." She gave Will a small smile.

They left the Silver Dragon with heavier hearts than when they'd first arrived.

* * *

Hay-Lin helped her grandmother clean up and do dishes, a million questions brimming on her tongue. But when she opened her mouth to ask, her grandmother would pointedly give her a chore in some other part of the room.

Sixteen years. That's how long her grandma had known and not said anything. She'd known Hay-Lin would be a guardian, would have powers, and would have to put her life at risk, just like Yan-Lin had. But she'd never mentioned it, never given a single hint. Even while receiving messages from Kandrakar itself about this planet and everything awful happening, everything Hay-Lin would have to contend with…

Hay-Lin decided her grandmother was either very, very strong, or very, very weak.

* * *

Cornelia closed the door behind her when she arrived at her family's penthouse. The _last_ thing she wanted to think about was the past day.

"Hello?"

There was no answer; her parents must have been taking Lilian to her guitar lesson. It used to be Cornelia's chore until her fights with Lilian started to give her mother migraines. Now, she barely heard Lilian play, which was a good thing. Of course, she also only ever saw Matt in passing at school now, where he'd smile and wave. It shouldn't have bugged her; they hadn't had an _actual_ conversation since middle school, and they hadn't been close in years. He was just an old family friend, that was all.

Being alone wasn't new to her. Her father ran the town bank, and her mother was the mayor's chief of staff, and with Lilian still growing, she needed far more attention than Cornelia did.

 _It's a good thing_ , she thought to herself as she began getting ready to prepare a grilled cheese with apples and honey, _I can eat what I want, Listen to music, and now…_

Now she could hide her guardian activities. From her parents. At least that wasn't something she'd have to deal with, unlike Irma, who told her parents every last secret, and Taranee, whose parents were so overprotective, it was insane.

No, she thought, as the sweet-and-savory scent of her sandwich began to float through the kitchen as she made herself some ice tea, _I'm one of the lucky ones_.

* * *

Taranee had a very specific method to processing things. It started with a notebook. Getting it all down in writing helped make it feel linear and concrete.

But where did she even start? Prince Phobos? Her Powers? Or the life threatening undertaking she was approaching? Part of her was still proud of how well she had masked her absolute terror in order to support Will.

God, had that afternoon even happened? Or was it some strange, surrealist fever dream? Thinking back on the events of the day, they felt so hazy and distant. But the memory of the fire in her palm… she still felt its tickling, flickering warmth on her fingers.

"Taranee, dinner!" Her mother called.

"Just a sec!"

Taranee stared down at the blank page in front of her before closing the notebook, She got the feeling that the regular methods of processing weren't gonna cut it.

* * *

Dinner was awkward for Will and her mom.

But what was she supposed to say when her mother asked how her friend's house was? _Oh, great, I found out I'm the leader of a magical band of pixies who has to save a teenage boy from certain death?_ Yeah, Right.

"You know, Will," He mother said, "You can talk to me. I was your age once, I get things."

 _Trust me, not this_.

"I know, mom. I'm just a bit tired. But I swear I'm fine. In fact, I'm going to hang out with them tomorrow. Get a tour of the city."

Susan Vandom raised an eyebrow.

"Okay. Just be back for dinner."

"Please mom, would I ever miss this?"

The chunk of hardened lasagna fell onto her plate with a _thunk_.

Susan sighed. Will could have sworn she muttered _teenagers_ under her breath.

* * *

Irma tossed and turned in bed.

 _She was in a large hall, surrounded by dancing couples. She looked down at herself, hoping to see a beautiful ballgown. Instead, she was in the purple and green guardian uniform._

 _She made her way through the couples, dodging their elegant swaying. She was beginning to get annoyed, and then she saw her- the most stunning girl she had ever seen. She was sitting in a gilded chair in the middle of the hall, and no one was paying her any mind, which Irma didn't understand; a girl like that shouldn't be ignored. Her tanned skin, chalky blonde hair, and those eyes… those sad, sad eyes._

 _Irma began to move towards her, and the girl looked up and smiled-god, she was breathtaking- it looked like she was about to stand up, but then the chair, the girl still in it, was yanked backwards. Her face was the picture of terror. Irma took off running after her, as fast as she could, but the dancers kept blocking her path. Desperate and afraid herself, Irma took off in flight above them. But when she got above their heads, she realized her mistake; she was grabbed by something, two strong arms around her neck, squeezing._

 _The last thing she saw before passing out was the girl, being dragged away across the infinite dancefloor._

She woke up screaming, and it wasn't until her parents came into the room that she could stop.

* * *

Will couldn't believe it was only her second day of school. She had learned from her wardrobe mistake the previous day and tried to dress slightly more fashionably. She hated to depart from practicality, so she was still in skinny jeans, but she'd paired it with a vintage band tee shirt and a bomber jacket. She'd also arrived early, and was glad she did.

"Over here, Will!" Taranee and Hay-Lin were leaning up against a tree. Hay-Lin was in a gorgeous dress Will assumed was handmade; it was lime green and had an elaborate, ruffled halter neck. On anyone else it would have looked absurd, but paired with delicate flats, silver jewelry, and killer hair, Hay-Lin looked great. Taranne was in a sleeveless turtleneck and black jeans, but she'd spiced the outfit up by tying a red and gold scarf around her hip, a reminder that just because she was smart it didn't mean she couldn't be well-dressed.

"Hey, guys," Will greeted them.

"Hey."

No one seemed to know what to say, so Hay-Lin jumped in with something random.

"Do you believe in Aliens?"

"Aliens? Like little green men?"

"Well, they don't have to be green…"

"I believe in them. There's one following me." Irma's voice startled Will, making her jump. More startling though, was her appearance. Bags under her eyes, a sloppily buttoned blue shirt beneath an unzipped hoodie, and sweatpants. "I mean how else can he be so deaf to social cues?"

Will looked to where Irma was glaring, and briefly saw a red-haired, bespectacled boy before he ducked behind a tree. She shot Taranee a helpless glance.

"Martin. He's been in love with Irma since before time."

"And doesn't get what _I play for the other team_ means," Irma grumbled.

Hay-Lin and Taranee exchanged a concerned glance. Sure, Irma found Martin and his impossible crush annoying, but she normally pitied the boy. If anything, she kind of liked the attention. Sure, his sister was more her type, but it was nice to know someone thought you were pretty.

"I'm surprised your appearance today hasn't driven him away today."

Will didn't need to turn around to know Cornelia had said that, just like she didn't need to turn around to know she probably looked fabulous. Her bangs were clipped back on her head with a delicate tortoiseshell clip, and she wore a white, knee-length dress with colorful flowers embroidered around the hem and down the front of the top. Her flats were shaped like little cats.

"Corny, don't be jealous of how little work I have to do to attract boys."

"Trust me, I'm not jealous of that kind of attention."

"So it doesn't bug you that no boy has ever thought it worth braving your bitchiness to get a piece of you?"

"Okay, time out," Will said, shocking herself slightly. "Irma, are you okay?"

Irma sighed.

"I'm sorry, that crossed a line. I didn't sleep well."

"Nightmares?" Hay-Lin asked sympathetically.

"Yeah. You guys have them to?"

"I sure did," Taranee confessed.

Irma suddenly became very animated.

"Wait, was the girl in yours too?"

"Um, no. But murderous princes were."

Before the conversation could continue, the bell rang.

"Let's continue this at lunch," Will suggested as they rushed to class.

"Corny, I really am sorry," Irma said.

"Please, it's fine. You know I don't care about boys and all that romantic stuff."

"Yeah, but…"

This was all Will heard of their conversation as she followed Taranee to class.

* * *

The girls drove to the same secluded beach spot they had been at the day before. With the winds picking up, it was as likely as ever to be deserted. Hay-Lin had thought she might be able to create some sort of wind-bubble, just in case the weather got too bad.

The main difference to the day before was that Yan-Lin was there, sitting peacefully on a rock.

"Everyone ready?" Will asked, holding the heart out before her, much like one would hold a snake.

"Ready as we'll ever be," Cornelia responded.

"Okay. Guardians, unite!"

Knowing what to expect helped dampen the shock, but not by much. It was still exhilarating and electrifying, and just as shocking to land, wearing a completely different outfit than before.

"So, show me what you each can do," Yan-Lin said.

"You just saw mine," Will admitted, "Though I suppose I can also fly…" she flapped her wings and rose a few feet off the ground, it was nerve wracking, so she tried to land… only to fall flat on her rear.

"We'll work on that first. Next!"

Irma aimed her hand at the ocean, and a small blob of water rose from it. Concentrating, Irma floated the bottle about halfway up the beach before letting it fall.

"Nice enough, Irma, but you can _produce_ water as well. I will do my best to teach you."

Taranee pulled her flaming-palms act, though she still struggled not to seem surprised and in awe of it.

"Try throwing it," Yan-Lin instructed. Taranee did, but it sputtered and died in the sand.

"It is a matter of confidence, Taranee. But you are doing well, so far."

Cornelia bent down and pressed a hand into the sand. She focused, and all the small rocks in the vicinity began to swirl and float around her.

"Do not forget, Cornelia, that while Earth certainly is about strength, it is also about growth."

Hay Lin did well enough, creating some gentle breezes which received her grandmother's approval. Will elbowed Irma when the girl whispered _favoritism_.

"All right. Crash-course in Guardianship begins now!"

First, like Yan-Lin promised, was flying. Hay-Lin was a natural, and managed to help the other girls somewhat. Cornelia's background in figure skating made her a very graceful, elegant flyer, though she wasn't as fast as Hay-Lin was. Even Irma managed alright, though she took several tumbles and had rough landings. Taranee and Will were decidedly the worst. Taranee because she was to afraid to float much higher than foot off the ground, and Will because she was always been a bit awkward and clunky.

Yan-Lin's challenge to them was not to set foot on the ground, and while the beginning was rough, it payed off. With Hay-Lin's help, Taranee managed to guide herself up higher and grow more comfortable in her own wings. Like Yan-Lin had said, it was all about confidence. Cornelia did her best to give Will pointers on grace, but Will couldn't manage much more than rudimentary directions and moves. Still, she was doing slightly better than before and could go somewhat quickly, which was her main goal. After all, if they were being chased by guards, she wanted to be out of there ASAP.

As the girls practiced, Yan-Lin pulled them aside one by one to work.

Irma was first.

She began in the water, working to move it and sway it in different directions.

"Understanding its fluidity and motion will help you in the long run."

Next, Irma worked on increasing its momentum, making waves bigger and then reigning them in before they crashed. She also levitated water in and out of the ocean. When they came back on shore, Irma worked on producing water. She managed to get a large, powerful blast, and a slow, pathetic trickle, but nothing in between.

"Keep working on it. Taranee, your turn."

An anxious looking Taranee approached her, watching from the corner of her eye as Irma fired squirts of water from finer-guns into the ocean.

Taranee's training was much more basic. Yan-Lin helped her create, aim, and throw fireballs, and also how to create an arc of fire. Taranee, ever the diligent student, actually got the hang of it quickly enough, and so Yan-Lin began showing her how to produce just heat, with no flame, to melt metal or heat up an object remotely. She also showed her a few basic punches.

"Halinor used to smack baddies with a flaming fist to the face. Nothing like it!"

The girls exchanged glances, wondering what else Yan-Lin would let slip about the other guardians. But the old woman just called Cornelia down and began showing her the two components of earth.

First was moving rocks and dirt, something Cornelia managed alright, even if her aim somewhat lacked finesse. She could get driftwood or rocks to hit a target, and seemed to have some control of sand, making it rise and fall.

She struggled a bit more with plants, making them grow. Like Irma, her efforts resulted either in too much or too little, and the beach became ripe with large vines and tiny sprigs. She did manage to ensnare Irma in a long root, but then, she in turn was soaked. Taranee helped dry her off, and carefully helped burn away part of the root.

Hay-Lin benefited most from her grandmother's lesson. Yan-Lin had also been an air guardian, so her tips were more pointed and specific. Soon enough, Hay-Lin was creating more than just soft breezes, but also sharp winds which could knock somebody to the floor. Coupled with her above-average flying, she seemed to be in the best of shape.

Will tried not to feel jealous as she flew in steady circles. Sure, she had no cool powers, but she was… well, the leader. The one who had to make all the tough calls and had the most responsibility. Hell shouldn't she at least get laser sight or something?

But she tried to not let it get to her. There girls and she were about to risk their lives on _her_ plan.

There was zero time for jealousy.

"It's getting dark," Will said, after what felt like hours of exhausting work. "Let's fuel up and meet back here tonight."

"I'll come to lead you to a portal, but after that, you will be on your own."

Will held out the heart, and in a flash, the girls were back to normal.

"Fuel up and rest up. We're in for a long night."

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! Again, if you leave a review, I'll leave one for one of your works!**

 **Some notes;**

 **-So I have three of the couples decided upon. It's gonna be WxC, of course, CornyxMatt, and IrmaxElyon.**

 **I was a bit hesitant about CxM, mostly because I didn't want to just switch Corny and Will's Love interests. But I was re-watching _U is for_ _Undivided_ , and I loved their easy, fun chemistry and how their different attitudes played out. I also have some fun plans in the future.**

 **For IrmaxElyon, I knew I wanted one of the girls to be gay, and I went with Irma because thematically, and for the purpose of this story and some future developments, her and Elyon made the most sense.**

 **I'm pretty set on couples for Hay-Lin and Taranee, but I'm gonna wait a bit to reveal them, just in case I change my mind.**

 **-I changed Yan-Lin's abilities/connection to Kandrakar a bit. This is two-fold. First, I want to get to Meridian sooner rather than later. Second, it has to do with a comic story line I'm incorporating in.**

 **Sorry that there was a lack of Meridian this chapter; but next time takes place mostly there.**

 **Next Chapter: The girls meet new allies, as well as new enemies, and get another taste at how out of their depth they are.**


	4. Acceptance, Part Two

**Once again, thanks for reading and reviewing!**

* * *

Caleb placed a shaky hand on the wall beside him. He took a moment to adjust his position and brace himself, and then, realizing it was now or never, pushed himself up.

The pain in his ankle was blinding, and he fell back to the floor before he could even process standing.

"Blunk tell you, ankle no good."

Caleb glared at his stinky green cellmate, who was one of the reasons Caleb hadn't been helped by Vathek. Passlings were notorious spies for the higher bidder, and the highest bidder around was Phobos. The last rebellion had been squashed by a passling posing as a prisoner, and Vathek was too important to have his station revealed.

The second reason Vathek hadn't intervened was Caleb's ankle. For all that Vathek was strong and good at his job, even he couldn't dodge suspicious while carrying around a wounded prisoner.

Caleb sighed in frustration. The way he saw it, one of two things could happen. Either he'd be executed, or his father would surrender. Neither option was appealing to him.

"Don't be sad. Blunk keep you company!"

 _Great, just great. I'm gonna die and my last night alive will be spent with a stinky, annoying passling_.

Closing his eyes and hoping for some sleep, Caleb tuned out the sound of Blunk's chattering.

 _Please, let someone come help me_.

* * *

Will managed to sneak out by ten. She was hoping to be back soon, but just in case she wasn't, she placed some pillows beneath her covers. The chances of her mom checking up on her before leaving for work were slim, admittedly, but still, better safe than sorry.

Once out, she texted the girls.

Taranee and Irma were "sleeping over" at Hay-Lins, and Yan-Lin would cover for them should anything go wrong. Cornelia hadn't mentioned how she'd get out, but Will suspected it would be something like she was. Either way, Cornelia was her ride, as Will didn't want her mom to notice her bright-green bug missing, or hear it start up.

Cornelia pulled up and Will slid into the front seat.

"Uh, Corny?"

"Yeah?"

"You do realize we'll be transforming there, right?"

Cornelia looked down at her outfit- black turtleneck, black jeans, and black boots, and smiled sheepishly.

"I couldn't resist the urge."

They drove quietly, both to scared to say anything. Part of Will was still convinced this couldn't be real; they couldn't be risking their lives in just a few minutes. Yet here they were.

"Hey, Cornelia?"

"Yeah…"

She wondered how to phrase it; how to say how grateful she was they the four of them had welcomed her and made her feel at home, even after the past two days of insanity. But she found that she couldn't, so instead she just said, "Thanks for driving me."

When they reached the beach, the other girls were all there, as well as Yan-Lin.

"What's with the catsuit, Corny?"

"Irma, nobody who appeared in public looking like you did today has any right to criticize."

"Guys, please," Will said, "Can we just… keep this part at least low key?"

The two girls looked sheepish and apologised.

"I will take you as far as the portal. Remember, top priority is saving the boy."

The girls all nodded and Will, hoping third time wouldn't be as jarring, held out the heart.

"Guardians, unite."

"This way."

Yan-Lin lead them further up the beach, past the caves and up a hill. Finally, they reached what looked like a cove in the middle of the cliffside. Yan-Lin walked inside, and the girls, exchanging reassuring glances, followed.

The only had to go a few paces before finding it; bright blue and swirling, it was by far the most mesmerizing and absurd thing Will had ever seen.

"This will take you to your destination. Be careful, the other end may not be what you expect. I suggest flying through."

Will, acting much braver than she felt, stepped forwards.

"Okay, I'll lead the way." She took off slightly, stayed low, and, taking a deep breath in, closed her eyes and flew through.

The first thing to hit her was the stench. Opening her eyes, She realized she was in some sort of bog, beneath her were muddy waters and around her were snarled trees and roots that twisted in every direction, except one. And there, in the distance, rose a castle on a precariously steep hill.

"Jeez, you think these guys are evil?"

Will jumped- or at least did the flying equivalent thereof-at Irma's voice.

"Sorry, girly, didn't mean to scare you."

Cornelia and Taranee came through next, holding hands and squeezing their eyes shut, and Hay-Lin followed, clearly struggling to hold in a loud whoop.

"Any idea where we are?" Hay-Lin asked.

"No. But I'm willing to bet that's Prince Phobos' place," Will said, pointing up to the castle.

"So that must be where there keeping the rebel boy," Taranee muttered, flying a bit closed.

"So… what now?"

They all turned to Hay-Lin.

"Aren't we going to find the rebels?"

"Yeah, but I have no idea how…"

"Besides," Taranee said, "Judging by the moons position, I'd say we have less time than we thought. What if we can't get to them soon enough?"

Suddenly, the heart jerked violently in the direction of the castle.

"Um, what's up with that thing?" Cornelia asked.

"No clue." Will grabbed the necklace tightly, but it seemed insistent on floating towards the castle. "I think… I think it wants us to get a move on with the rescue…"

"Okay, so who thinks we stick to the original plan and who thinks we follow the magical sentient crystal?" Irma looked like she was itching to go on the rescue mission.

"I don't think the heart really cares what we want." Will admitted.

"Great," Cornelia muttered. "When I said I wanted killer jewelry, I _so_ did not mean this."

"Come on," Will said, "Let's go save the kid."

The flew low, partly to avoid attention and partly out of fear, and didn't land until they were just outside the castle.

"I'm betting the dungeons are in the lowest part of the place. If we enter through the sewer, we can probably avoid being seen too much." She didn't sound too thrilled about that plan, but Will approved it.

"Wait, guys," Hay-Lin said, "What if there's something in the water?" the girls looked down- it was true, the water was to murky for them to see more than a foot beneath the surface, but Will got the sense things went much deeper than that.

"Irma, do you think you can…" Will wasn't quite sure what she was asking, but Irma rolled her eyes and flew towards the edge of the water.

"You guys so owe me," She muttered, before sticking her hand in.

They waited with baited breath while Irma closed her eyes and focused.

"Ich!" She pulled her hand from the water quickly. "You were right Hay-Hay, something is displacing a _lot_ of water. Like, _a lot a lot_."

"Great. How do we get passed it?"

"Can't we fly over it?" Cornelia asked.

"Not if it jumps."

"You're the leader, what do you think?" Taranee asked, and Will winced. She didn't _like_ being the leader, she wanted to say, but now was not the time.

She tried to think... Cornelia might be able to make a bridge, but that would be no better than flying. Hay Lin and Irma could water-tornado the thing, but that might not help either, which left…

"Tara, how much water do you think you can bring to a boil?"

"Not this whole lake, but maybe a portion of it…"

"Okay, um, Irma, if you can sense where the thing is, we can trap it there, and Taranee can try to incapacitate it."

"What about the vapor? Isn't this a secret mission?"

"Hay-Lin, keep the smoke going in another direction. Okay, let's get to work!"

The girls noded, and assumed their position. Irma placed her hands in the water, and Cornelia hovered close to her, Taranee not far behind. Hay-Lin flew above them and prepared.

"It's by that root… moving slowly...now Corny!"

Cornelia, not missing a beat, plunged her hand into the dirt.

"Earth!" If not for seeing Cornelia, Will wouldn't know if it was working.

"There's weird tendrils… oh, wait, that's Corny's vines… we's swimming away… no! We got him! But he's pretty squirmy and _very_ big, so Taranee, go when you can!"

Taranee flew out to the root and aimed her hands at the water, Hay Lin followed. It wasn't long until the water began to bubble and vapor began to rise, which Hay-Lin set moving close to the water and towards the portal.

"He's stopped squirming, but I don't know if we killed it or if he just got knocked out."

"Well I for one don't want to stick around to find out. Good work, you guys," Will said.

"Good work with that plan, Will," Hay-Lin said.

"Thanks." Will tried not to blush.

They flew over the bog, still a little nervous, and reached the grate.

"Taranee, you good to go again?"

The bespectacled girl nodded and melted away the metal, and the girls. Holding their breath as they flew uncomfortably close to the stinking water, flew through the opening.

Once inside, they realized they were in a large cavern with many passages, all damp. Will produced the heart again, and it tugged in the direction of a caven.

"Alright. Let's hope we were right to trust this."

* * *

Caleb had lost almost all hope when he heard the whispering.

"In here."

His ears perked up at the female voices. The only girls in the palace were kitchen workers and girls Phobos had brought from the town for his own purposes. He doubted any of them would be in the dungeon…

He looked up right as they appeared.

"What the…" Five girls in purple and green outfits, all with wings… _it can't be. They're a myth!_

"Is that him?" The blonde one asked.

"Only one way to find out. Hay-Lin, you're our best flyer…"

The dark haired girl nodded at the redhead, and before Caleb knew what to do or say, she had dived down into the hole.

"Hey!" She greeted in a bubbly voice.

"Um, hello?"

"Are you the rebel leader's son?"

"Yes?"

The girl looked up.

"It's him! We did it!"

"Uh, not yet, we still have to save him and all. Bring him up!"

The girl turned back to him.

"Okay, hold on tight!"

"Wait, wait, who the hell are you?"

"I'm Hay-Lin."

"No, I mean…"

"We're the guardians of the veil," the redhead called down. "We came to save you!"

"No way, guardian's don't exist."

"Um, excuse you," a brunette said, "But I think we'd realize not existing."

"I mean-"

"Hey, buster," the blonde said, "we're saving you, so deal."

Caleb wanted to protest; after all, these girls could be spies… but then. How much worse could his situation get?"

"Girls rescuing boy? Girl's should rescue Blunk too!"

With a start, Hay-Lin spun around and gave a little shriek.

"What is it, are you okay?" The redhead calleb down.

"Fine, just startled by a… a giant talking toad?"

"A passling," Caleb corrected, "notorious spies and crooks."

"Blunk not spy!"

"Look, we don't have much time, just grab him and get out!"

"He looks a bit heavy. And he's injured. I may need a hand."

The redhead nodded to the blonde and brunette, who both flew down. Up close, he could see that they were both kind of stunning, just like Hay-Lin.

"This is Irma and Corny-" Hay-Lin caught the blondes glare, "- _lia_. Up there is Will, the redhead, and Taranee."

"I'm Caleb."

"And I'm Blunk!"

"Ech. Tell me we're not saving _him_ as well?"

"No-" Caleb began, but he was overruled.

"Come On, we can leave him to rot later. But for now, our job is saving people."

Corny-lia and Hay-Lin grabbed him by the arms, not waiting for his permission, and then flew him up. To his dismay, he saw that Irma had grabbed the passling.

Flying, at least, was exhilarating, until they got to the top and tried to set him down on his feet.

"Ow!"

"Ooh, right, sorry," Hay-Lin said, levitating him once more.

"Taranee, Will, this is Caleb and that is Blunk."

"Nice to meet girls," Blunk said, and Taranee did her best not to look disgusted when he waved.

"Nice to meet... Weird stinky frog guy?" Will walked towards Caleb and bent down.

"This ankle thing is gonna be a problem," She said and stood back up. "Caleb, can you lead us to the rebels?"

"Hey, wait a minute, how do I know I can trust you?"

"Because we just risked _our_ buts to save yours!" Cornelia snapped.

"Besides," Irma said as she set Blunk down, "Do you have a choice."

Caleb grumbled his defeat.

"Okay, we can't take him out the way we got in," Will said, "Any new ideas?"

"Blunk knows way out! Through tunnels!"

"You can't trust him!" Caleb snapped.

Bust suddenly, they had more pressing concerns. The horn sounded; guards were coming.

"Again, not much choice. Cornelia, trade off with me, you're more useful in a fight. Blunk, start leading the way!"

It took a moment for them all to respond to Will's command. Caleb was impressed; working with limited resources, she was doing her best. Though her flying wasn't very smooth.

Blunk lead them down the twisting tunnels, and he could hear the heavy footsteps coming closer behind him.

He closed his eyes, and prayed that these girls knew what they were doing.

* * *

Taranee, Irma, and Cornelia flew behind the others.

"They're coming closer!"

"Let's slow them down!"

Cornelia landed, and pressed her hand into the ground.

"Earth!"

A few thin veines grew from floor to ceiling

"Newsflash, girly, that's not gonna hold them back for long!"

"I know. Taranee?"

Taranee raised her eyebrows, until she realized Cornelia's plan.

"Fire!"

She had to admit, she was slightly impressed with herself when the vines went up in flames. It felt good to use her powers like this-to see how cool and strong they could be.

She weaved in and out of the tunnels, up and down, until they came to a sudden stop. In front of them rose a large iron grate.

"I told you! Why'd you trust the Passling!"

"Hey, this not here last time Blunk come through!"

"Taranee?"

"I don't know, Will, I'm a bit low on firepower."

"Let me try," Cornelia said, stepping forwards, "Metal is part of earth, right?"

She held the bars and focused, and while they shook a bit, nothing happened.

"Great. Onto plan B."

She bent down again, and the earth beneath the bars uprooted and shook, sending the iron flying.

They progressed through quickly, but the guards had got passed Taranee and Cornelia's defenses.

They were ugly that was for sure, and well armed.

"Corny, switch with Hay-Lin!" Irma yelled. "Hay-Hay, get ready to freeze this place."

Then, Irma released a huge burst of water, large enough to block the exit.

"Now Hay-Lin!"

The Air guardian worked quickly, and suddenly, the wall of moving water was a wall of solid ice.

"Nice teamwork, let's move!"

Moments later, they were outside.

They made it through the swamp before more guards, shouting and screaming, caught up to them.

"Keep going east! That's the way to the rebels!" Caleb instructed them.

"We're not gonna outrun them!"

"Here, Hay-Lin, take him!"

Cornelia switched off.

"Taranee, remember what we did earlier? Think you can do it again on a bigger scale?"

"I can try."

Cornelia flew up and extended her arms out to either side of her, and then, scrunching her brows together, moved her arms out in front of her, as she did this, two giant trees in front of them toppled, blocking the guards path.

Taranee, using all the magical juju she had, lit them ablaze, and she and Cornelia collapsed into each other for support. Irma flew between them, helping them back up.

"Wait, where did Blunk go?" Hay-Lin asked.

"Who cares, I don't want him to follow us to the rebel HQ anyhow. Now, let's head out and rendezvous with my team."

Taranee looked back at the castle through the flames one last time.

It was the last place she ever wanted to go again, yet somehow, she figured she'd be spending a lot more time there.

* * *

Caleb couldn't remember the last time he was so glad to see rebel HQ, as when Hay-Lin and Will set him down in the infinite city, though Will helped support him and his ankle.

"Wow, this place is nice," Irma muttered. Cornelia and Taranee had worked their energy back up and starting flying on their own about halfway there.

"Caleb? Is that you?"

Caleb looked up to see his best friend running towards him, before he was pulled into a crushing hug.

"Aldarn, hey!"

"You got out! How-" But then Aldarn saw the Guardians. "It can't be."

"It is, I've seen their powers myself."

"Nice to meet you," Hay-Lin said, extending her hand to Aldarn, who was too shocked to take it.

"Caleb?"

"Dad. Hey-"

"What happened to your ankle?"

"Arrow."

"Ah."

There was a moment of awkward silence.

"These are the Guardians of the veil. Will, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia, And Hay-Lin."

"Hi," Will said.

"Here, Caleb," Julien said, "Let's get you medical attention. Girls, thank you. I cannot believe it's really you…"

Caleb allowed himself to be passed off to Drake and Aldarn, who both made a point of playfully calling him a dope for getting himself shot.

He looked back, wondering if his dad would follow them, but he was still speaking with the guardians. Will caught his eye as he was being carted off, and she smiled.

"...we must discuss what this means…" he heard his father say.

Caleb decided that, healed or not, he was going to be at that discussion.

* * *

Yan-Lin was waiting by the portal when the girls popped through.

By their grins, she could tell they were successful.

"Oh, grandma, I wish you could see it! Corny pulled down a tree and Taranee set fires and we blew up a lake- oh, and uh, we rescued Caleb, the rebel boy."

"That is good news indeed."

"Ugh, I need a nap," Irma said, yawning.

"Soon girls, but first, Will must close the portal."

"Close it? But won't we need to get back and forth to Meridian?"

"Yes, and more portals will open for that. But Phobos and Cedric might be able to track you this one. We cannot risk their poison reaching earth."

Will turned to the portal.

"Okay… here goes."

It took her a few tries, but the portal finally closed, with a resounding electrical buzzing noise.

"So, do we head back tomorrow? Coordinate with the rebels?"

"I think we've earned a day off, Irma," Will said, "But this weekend, let's head back."

The girls agreed, and began to move out of the cave and back to their cars.

Cornelia drove Will back an hour before dawn.

"See you at school," Will said.

"Yeah. Oh, and Will?"

"Yeah?"

"Good job tonight."

Will smiled as she drove off. Maybe this whole leader thing wasn't so bad.

* * *

Yan-Lin kissed her granddaughter goodnight on the forehead, and slipped out into the hall and into her own room.

"Long time no see, Yany."

Yan-Lin barely started at that, looking up at her friend.

"Too long, Cassidy. I can barely see through you anymore."

The redhead's eyes went wide with shock, and she floated over to Yan-Lin.

"Is it time-"

"No, not quite. Relax, Cass."

Crossing her arms, Cassidy frown.

"You know, I kept on wishing I would stop being alone here in Kandrakar. But now that someone is close to joining me, I'm kind of freaking, you know?"

"Alone. So Nerissa has not yet…"

"No. But the way she's been draining life force, I won't be surprised to see her here before you. I mean, you, Halinor, and Kadma are all close to this, and you haven't been messing with things like she has."

"Nerissa was always strong. But her time will come soon enough. And if she tries something before then-"

"The Guardian's will stop her. Hey, do you think their outfit are cuter than ours are? Because I kind of do."

Yan-Lin simply sighed and began to take her hair down.

"Speaking of, why did you not tell them that portal would put them closer to Caleb than the other rebels?"

"They must not begin to rely on outside help. After all, they can trust only one another."

"We couldn't trust one another."

"This will be different. Our fate was considered when they were chosen. Why do you think they were all friends, whereas we began strangers?"

"Will is a stranger. You'd think the keeper of all people…"

"The Heart chose Will to lead for a reason. Even the Oracle cannot question the choices of Kandrakar itself." Yan-Lin stood. "I am tired, and, no offence, but I'd rather you not watch me undress, though I know it is a great loss."

"Ha, ha. Don't worry, I'm out of here."

She faded away completely, back to the realm she occupied.

"Dear friend," Yan-Lin said to the space she had been in, "I will reunite with you in truth soon enough."

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! Please drop a review- whether you loved it, hated it, or were indifferent, I'd love some feedback!**

 **This is the longest chapter yet, and ends the first mini arc. I hope you enjoyed!**

 **Next Chapter, The Guardians ballance normal life and guardian duties!**


	5. Affection

**Thanks for the reviews!**

* * *

"What?! How did this happen?"

Cedric cringed at Phobos' voice, and forced himself to remain calm, through the scales beneath the skin of his back were bristling.

"Based on the guards statements, it would appear our suspicions about the guardians were… correct."

" _Our_ suspicions? As I recall, _you_ told me I had no cause for worry!"

"And, at the time, I suspected we did not. My Liege, all we had was the dream of your sister-"

"Who is the beating heart of this planet, and connected to the _magical center of the universe_!"

Cedric dodged a blast of energy thrown by Phobos. _Patients, Cedric_ , he told himself, _All will be well soon_.

"Yes, and soon enough, _you_ will possess that power."

"Not if the guardian's interfere!"

"Ah, but what will they do? Even the rebels do not know the princess is alive, we will simply hold them off. Once you possess the Heart of Meridian, you will be able to overtake the guardians…" Something occurred to Cedric then, "Then, my prince, you will be able to claim the heart's of Kandrakar and Earth, as well."

This peaked Phobos' interest.

"Three hearts... " he smirked, "I will be unstoppable then…"

"Yes, my liege."

"Go, get Elyon ready for her treatments. We must decide what to do with the guardians…"

* * *

Cornelia's day off was not as pleasant as she would like. Lilian, who normally had soccer on Thursdays, was inside nursing a twisted ankle. Her demands for food and toys had gotten so shrill that, when Cornelia got a text reading from Hay-Lin which read _grandma called meeting. Wings-related. Sorry_ , the blonde was almost glad to go.

She was halfway to the Silver Dragon when something- well, someone- stopped her.

"Cornelia, hey!"

"Oh, hey, Matt."

Walking towards her from his granddad's pet shop was none other than Matt Olsen. He was still one of the cutest guys around, still kept his hair long, wearing a constant rotation of _Wreck 55_ shirts and jeans and clunky boots.

"Long time no see," He said when he reached her.

"Yeah, weird schedules, I guess."

It wasn't that Cornelia didn't like or get along with him. Things were just...weird, now. Back in middle school they'd been super close, but once they hit the ninth grade… well, he had his band and she met Irma and Hay-Lin, and things now were just _different_.

"Hey, is that a pajama shirt?"

"What? No!"

Cornelia looked down at what most definitely _was_ a pajama shirt; a silky gray Camisole with silver stars sewn along the hem.

"Okay, it totally is. That's the set I- My family- got you last christmas."

"Well, I, um-"

Matt just laughed.

"Dude, chill, I'm not judging. Did you wear that to school today?"

"Yeah," she admitted, prepared to launch into an excuse for how little sleep she got and how tired she was and how darn _comfy_ the top was, but Matt shook his head with a smile.

"That takes guts. Then again, you're Cornelia Hale, so of course it looks good. You'd look good in a camel suit."

Cornelia found herself smiling.

"The way I remember it, you were always the one making bold outfit choices. Remember your mom's _Dior_?"

"Hey, in my defense, purple really is my color."

She laughed along with him, for a second, it felt like old times, before the laughter faded and they were left on the street, just as before.

"Well, I've gotta meet the girls at The Silver Dragon..."

"Yeah, I offered to go babysit Lilian while your dad ran out for more earplugs."

"Ooh. My sympathies."

They began to part way, when Matt turned back to her.

"You know, it's weird. We keep just missing each other."

"Yeah, weird."

He smiled at her, a smile which would melt the heart of any girl other than Cornelia.

"We should stop doing that."

And then, he was gone.

* * *

Irma resisted the urge to fall asleep on the Lin's couch.

"I thought this was our day off," she muttered sleepily to Taranee, who was doing a much better job at staying awake.

"It must be important."

"It is," Yan-Lin said, entering the room followed by Cornelia and Will.

"Corny, is that a pajama top?" Hay-Lin asked. The blonde just blushed and took a seat.

"I am sorry to call you on your day off, but I wanted to make sure I entrusted this to you."

Yan-Lin place an old, yellowed piece of paper on the table in front of them.

"It's a map," Taranee said, sounding a bit stunned. Irma guessed that, after the past few days, something a simple as a map was a bit of a shock.

"Not just any map," Yan-Lin went on. "Will, hold the heart out over it."

The redhead shot her friends a skeptic look, but did as she was told.

With a flash, several glowing X's appeared on the map.

"Everyone is seeing this, right? My sleep deprivation isn't causing me to hallucinate?" Irma asked, leaning forwards.

"This map will reveal to you open portals in the veil. It will help you defend this realm."

"That's nice and all, but why the emergency meeting, grandma?" There was a note of worry in Hay-Lin's voice that only Irma seemed to pick up on.

"It is my duty to prepare you," Was all Yan-Lin said. "If you don't get all the important things out, they come back later and complain about secrets. Best to figure everything out early on."

Irma was about to push that statement, but Hay-Lin spoke up before she could.

"Speaking of figuring things out, look at this." She held out her hand, where she had scribbled in her small, messy handwriting, various acronyms, from _T.I.C.H.W. to C.H.I.T.W._ to, finally, circled by her knuckles _, W.I.T.C.H._. "Our initials!" She said proudly.

"But we aren't witches. We're like, fairies… pixies… guardian thingies," Will pointed out.

"Yeah, but F.P.G.T. doesn't sound half as cool," Hay-Lin said.

"I like it," Irma said, "If only Will's mother had named her Bill, though, then we'd be _really_ set."

"Yan-Lin, what did you and the former guardians call yourselves?" Taranee asked. Her voice was innocent, but there was something in her gaze. The look Irma nicknamed the _Why did you take off credit for this answer, professor_ look.

"Oh, our names were not so convenient." She swept up the map and rolled it up, clasping it with a jeweled clip. "Will, this, like the heart, is entrusted to you. You can use it tomorrow to get to Meridian without me. Now, I must go down to the restaurant, we're about to hit the dinner rush."

She left before anyone could get in another word.

"No offence Hay-Lin, but does anyone else think grandma guardian is being pretty shady?"

All four hands rose at Cornelia's question.

"Look, it's still our day off, so maybe let's not get to into Guardian stuff?" Will asked, "I mean, it would be nice to have a conversation that didn't involve the mysterious magical world we're supposed to save."

"Yeah, let's talk about Irma's dream girl," Hay-Lin said with a smile.

"What dream girl?"

"The one you mentioned yesterday morning at school, and who you were muttering about in your sleep last night."

"I didn't think I _got_ any sleep last night."

"If you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to," Cornelia interjected, giving Irma a serious look. For a moment, Irma remembered a night years ago that only they remembered. They may have disagreed on everything else, but romance, and the things they both knew about it, was one thing they would never press each other on.

"No, it's fine. It's just… I'm not sure she _doesn't_ have to do with the other world."

"How so?" Taranee asked, leaning forwards.

"Well…" Irma told them about her first dream, how she had been in her guardian uniform, and how she had been so scared. And then she told them about the night prior.

"I was standing on a balcony, and I was looking at this beautiful view, and I couldn't help but think it was familiar. And then I noticed… it was the bog from yesterday, and I was in the castle. But it was totally different, like it got extreme makeover-d or something. And then I felt her… she hugged me, from behind." Irma tried not to blush as she told this part, remembering the more vivid aspects of her dreams, "And even though I couldn't see her, I _knew_ it was the same girl. And she said _you're remembering it, aren't you? Don't worry, I do to sometimes_."

When she finished, there was a long silence.

Taranee spoke up first.

"And you're sure it was the castle in Meridian?"

"I guess I could be wrong, but I was positive."

"And you have no idea who this chick is?" Will asked.

"Trust me, I'd remember seeing a face like that."

"The strange thing is… you can't dream about a face you've never seen before," Taranee said. "I mean, it's not possible."

"Neither is turning into fairies and fighting bad guys, but we do that, don't we?" Hay-Lin pointed out.

"So this girl could be from Meridian?"

"But why would I be dreaming about her?"

"Maybe she's trying to get through to you, to give you a message?"

Everyone froze and looked at Cornelia.

"What? I have good ideas sometimes, too."

"Yeah, it's just that for someone who believes romance is dead and meaningless, that was pretty…" Irma didn't finish the sentence.

"Maybe if you describe her to Hay-Lin, she can make a sketch?" Will suggested, "Then we could show it to Yan-Lin and the rebels, see if they know her?"

"I'll try," Irma offered. "But somehow, I don't think that's gonna cut it."

* * *

Caleb tossed restlessly in his cot. There were no windows in the infinite city, so he had no way of knowing how late it was, but he felt like he'd been confined to his bed in the medical area of camp for years.

"You won't get better unless you keep weight off it. As is, you may never regain full capacity of your ankle again."

"Dad. Hey."

Julien walked towards him and sat down by the cot.

"Drake said you were lucky it wasn't infected. And you are, I hope you know, lucky."

"I know. What I did was stupid, but I thought-"

"You thought you knew better than me."

Caleb gritted his teeth together and held in several expletives.

"When I tell you something, it comes from years of experience. Not random guesses."

"I know, dad, but that information could be vital-"

"How so? We know they have more weapons than us. We know they have more soldiers. Be it ten thousand or twenty thousand more, we're still almost hopeless."

"Now we have the guardians!"

"And we almost didn't have a rebellion for them to help!" Julien stood, sending his stool to the floor with a loud noise. He took a deep breath to steady himself. "I'm sorry, Caleb. I hope your ankle heals."

Caleb didn't stop him when he left.

* * *

Elyon lay awake long into the night, afraid to go to sleep. While part of her desperately wanted to see the girl again, another, stronger part was terrified of what it meant. Of what _she_ meant.

She hadn't told Cedric or Phobos about her, though she didn't know why. She kind of wanted to keep her to herself. Besides, the way she felt about this girl…

She didn't know how to put it into words, but she was sure they wouldn't approve.

Rolling onto her side, she let her eyes drift shut.

Maybe it wasn't so bad, grabbing a little piece of happiness in sleep. She certainly wasn't getting any in her waking life.

* * *

Cedric held the lantern aloft as he made his way down through the dungeons of the castle. Around him, it illuminated the damp walls and abandoned cells. It was in one of them where he found her.

"It is as you guessed. The Guardians have awakened."

The old crone looked up at him and smiled.

"Good. I was getting impatient."

"Now we simply obtain the heart, and we will be a step closer to our goal."

The crone stood and walked towards him.

"I'm afraid, my dear, our goals are different. I will, however, assist you in yours."

"How do I know I can trust you, Nerissa?"

"Have I not told you, Cedric? I would do anything for my son."

Cedric lowered the lantern.

"I am always glad to hear that."

He left without a second look back. He should have lingered longer, perhaps, and he would have heard the threat uttered by Nerissa.

"But you won't be glad to hear it for much longer."

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! As always, please leave a review- weather you liked it, hated it, or were indifferent, I really appreciate it!**

 **A few quick notes on the chapter:**

 **So, it was short and a bit of a hodgepodge, I know, But I had a few main goals with it:**

 **-Introduce some new conflicts**

 **-Set up some future relationships**

 **-get important exposition out of the way.**

 **Next chapter I delve right in with Meridian stuff, so I wanted things to be all set up on the Earth end of things.**

 **Also, every change I make to canon will be noted in the AN.**

 **Next Chapter: The girls sit down with the rebels for a nice, long chat.**


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